On the Feast of the Donskaya Icon of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Liturgy at the Church of the Metropolitan District Representation in Moscow

September 1, 2026 – the Afterfeast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and the feast of the Donskaya Icon of the Mother of God.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and Their Mother Sophia at the Patriarchal Metochion in Moscow – the Representation of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

His Eminence was joined in the celebration by: Abbot Agathangel (Gagua), Vice-Rector of the Alma-Ata Theological Seminary, Candidate of Theology, Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor; Hieromonk Antony (Drobyazko), Dean of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and Their Mother Sophia; Hieromonk Daniel (Makagon); Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev); Deacon Anatoly Ledenev; and Deacon Roman Frolov.

Present in prayer at the service were: O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation; N.V. Parshikova, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Zinaida, the widow of the ever-memorable Archpriest Boris Prisyazhnyuk; relatives and spiritual children of the ever-memorable pastor; staff members of the Representation; and parishioners of the church.

The liturgical hymns were performed by the church choir under the direction of Anna Rozhnova.

During the litany for the departed, special prayers were offered for the ever-memorable Rector, Archpriest Boris Prisyazhnyuk, on the fifteenth anniversary of his repose.

The Liturgy concluded with the glorification of the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

Following the service, at the grave of the reposed Archpriest Boris near the altar apse, Metropolitan Alexander led a memorial service for the ever-memorable Rector.

“We know that eternal life is attained through love for God and love for one’s neighbor. Yet the Lord Himself has revealed to us another great truth: a person is led into the Kingdom of Heaven by divine food – the Holy and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ, the Most Pure Body and Blood of our Savior. Participation in the Mystery of Holy Communion is a source of virtue and an effective means of deliverance from sin. The Lord Jesus Christ warns us: ‘Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you’ (Jn. 6:53).

“It is impossible, merely by observing from the outside, to experience those gifts of grace or to receive the consolation and assistance from the Lord that are bestowed upon a believer through the proper observance of fasting, frequent attendance at the church of God, and participation in the Mysteries. Personal spiritual experience cannot be replaced by any effort of the intellect, exertion of the will, or concentration of the senses, for ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him’ (1 Cor. 2:9).

“‘O taste and see that the Lord is good!’ (Ps. 33:9), the Church of Christ calls us in the words of the Psalmist David to partake of a true and authentic spiritual life.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.